How the Economic Power of Languages Varies by Income
30 Oct 2019
by
Dr. Arle Lommel
The economic opportunity that locally used languages offer drives business investment in localization. However, aggregate economic figures only partially explain language choices. The income – and corresponding spending power – of speakers of various tongues also plays a vital role. Brands may choose to forego a large opportunity of many low-income speakers in favor of language communities with fewer speakers, but greater per-capita income. This report explores the relationship between income and ability to spend and provides tables for the top languages at various per-capita income levels from US$10,000 to US$100,000.
CSA Research conducted a large-scale survey of translators and interpreters in all corners of the world in cooperation with ProZ.com, Translators without Borders, and several industry associations. We sought to characterize the demographics, behavior…
